Tips on getting your Caribbean garden started in 2024

Gardening - spending time with your plants, growing your own food, bonding with the earth, relaxing and much more. It's safe to say that there's a bit of something for everyone when it comes to having a home garden, or as we call it here in Trinidad, a backyard garden. I've been doing this for near a decade now and one of the most interesting yet common issues that many are faced with is "How do I start?" I'm here to let you know that it doesn't have to be that complicated. With the right steps and a bit of care, you can create a thriving garden, no matter how big or small your space is and the aim of this short guide is to help all of us grow together. There's also a downloadable pdf version of this guide to the bottom of the page.

Step 1 - Put the pen to the paper (or screen)

The best ideas are those that aren’t forgotten and those that can be clearly explained. Writing down exactly what you want to do with your garden, including the resources you have on hand can make your planning process significantly easier. You need to look at how much space you have available, measure it and map it out. Observe the area you’d like to use for things, like how many hours of sunlight that area receives, the proximity to a water source (you’d need to water your plants), topography of the area and drainage (so your plants don’t become waterlogged). Finally, decide which type of garden is best for you, whether it’s an in-ground garden, a container garden or a mix of both.

Step 2 - Quantify your needs

Let’s start a garden! Now quick, run to the store and buy all the seedlings or seeds. Wait- how much do you need? Exactly. There are so many different things you can put into your garden, but do you have space for them all? If you’re planting things for you or your family to consume, you want to avoid wastage by not planting more than you can use, while also planting as many things as you can. Quantifying your needs, for example, knowing that you can only consume 5 heads of lettuce per week and not 10, means you can stagger your planting to plant so you only get about 5 heads of lettuce per week. This leaves the rest of space for you to plant other things that you can eat! If you are planting things to sell, then consider how much storage space you have on hand for the things you want to grow. Is it for home or personal use?

Step 3 - Do your research! It's not as hard as it sounds

There are so many different varieties of the things you eat and can grow, it’s important to know which varieties are right for you. Do you know that tomatoes come in two main types: determinate (those that grow for a short while, produce fruit for a set period of time, then die) and indeterminate (those that continue to grow while producing a smaller quantity of fruit but over an extended period of time)? What about the varieties of lettuce like butterhead, salad bowl, romaine, not to mention the different colours. It gets even more interesting; some varieties have been selected for their ability to resist diseases beer than others while others have been selected for their ability to produce higher yields but may be more susceptible to disease. Other important factors to consider when researching your crop of interest are: common pests & diseases, water requirements, recommended soil type (well drained or moderate) and shade tolerance. Always remember to use the scientific name of your crop along with the common name when searching for information!

Tips On Getting Your Garden Started .pdf

Download PDF • 2.31MB

If you enjoyed this and you are able to, leaving a small contribution over at my https://ko-fi.com/agrination page helps me keep putting content like this out for free :)